Diamantenhandel und der Krieg in Kongo/Zaire [The diamond trade and the war in Congo/Zaire]Volker Kaul Afrika Spectrum, 2007, vol. 42, issue 1, pages 49-71 Abstract: In this essay, I analyse the relationship between the diamond trade and the war in Congo/Zaire. Most analyses on this topic come to the conclusion that the diamond trade is the cause of the so-called 'first African World War'. My thesis is that motives of greed as such cannot explain the formation, course and dynamics of the war in Congo/Zaire. The diamond trade is part of a political culture of liminal phenomena in Congo and conveys a normative force in the grievance-ridden political and economic context of Congo/Zaire. Not the diamond trade as such but the social structures resulting from the diamond trade and the particular form of governance that characterizes a political system based on the diamond trade explain the war in Congo/Zaire. Although the war was indeed waged by means of the diamond trade and this contributed to the formation of war economies in Congo, it had other purposes: national security, physical survival, political influence, societal order, social integration and self-realization. There are no downloads for this item, see the EconPapers FAQ for hints about obtaining it. Related works: Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from Access Statistics for this article More articles in Afrika Spectrum from Institute of African Affairs, GIGA German Institute of Global and Area Studies, Hamburg |
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